To Catch A Thief
by DeFier
Summary: In the months following that fateful trial, the cases formerly decided thanks to Phoenix Wright have been carefully overturned once again. As a result, one man has found himself at the start of a new life, but this time he won't have to go it alone. L/A


_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (also known as Gyakuten Saiban) or any related characters, places, or icons. AA/GS belongs to Capcom. I am simply using these characters for the enjoyment of others (and myself)._

_This fic was originally written for the Anonymous Kink Meme, and contains sexual content. Nothing too graphic, as I'm not skilled enough to write it, but it goes far enough._

_It also contains unconditional love, fluff, and mentions of characters and events from the fourth game (no spoilers, but knowing the spoilers will make you smile more, I'd think)._

_Please enjoy! And rest assured, though the title is taken from a song, this is not a songfic._

- - -

It had begun as a simple exercise, in reality. A quick attempt to renew his senses, his skills, which had yet to fail him even in those prison months. He had gotten off "lucky," one could say, that his first-degree homicide charges had been nulled in naught but a few mere months. Not even a year of incarceration!

So he had decided to take on a hobby of sorts, to take up the immense amount of free time he now had. He could no longer maintain his offices, in truth, after having his credibility razed by one Phoenix Wright, Sir 'Lawyer,' and supposed 'Ace' Attorney—funny how that same attorney was the reason he now walked free. Though losing his badge must have been a horror to Sir Lawyer himself—or was that Sir Hobo?—it gave the legal system the upset enough to file through the previous cases he presided over. And of course, with a bit of assistance from that gentlemanly defense attorney who so politely took on his well-placed appeal… That unusually crisp, bespectacled and true Sir Lawyer, Gavin, was it not? Of course it was! Luke Atmey never forgot a name, nor a face, nor anything, for that matter!

Digression aside, he did have a rather empty schedule, which was the reason he had taken on this lovely side task. Originally, in any case. How, exactly, his exercise had grown to a full-fledged career… Atmey considered it an addiction of sorts. For in all truth, there was only a singular, solitary something in existence that could rival the euphoria gained from committing a well-planned phantom robbery.

Resulting, as was the natural progression of events, in where he now stood, his fingers tingling beneath his gloves as he carefully caressed the smooth facet of the largest stone. Eclipse Banner was the name it had been given—perfectly fitting to a gem that appeared as if it could power some sort of fictitious death ray. It was a massive opal necklace; a numerical value could hardly be set to it! And at last, it was his. Phantom thievery was one of his countless talents, it seemed! This heist, like all others, had gone off without one problem, absolutely no quandary. The guards were preoccupied, the cameras trained away from his sleek persona. Leaving his trademark behind, his carefully-designed calling card, in the place of his purloined prize, he swished his cloak behind him and dancingly descended upon his escape.

The map of the museum was crystal clear in his mind, unmarred and perfect. He turned as it indicated, smiled as he knew his plan was working flawlessly! The corridor split, causing the thief to hang a plotted left and head north. The exit was but a haughty, brief strut away! He slipped through the doorway and found himself at a complete halt. There at the end of the next passageway was a door. When there should have been an _opened_ door. However, it was very clear that the door in question had become an unprecedented obstacle. Not one that would be difficult to deal with, of course. At worst he'd have to break down the door, but his knowledge of the museum layout told him that an alternative route would be simpler, cleaner. Extravagance was his trade, but there was a time and a place for it. He was well ahead of schedule at the moment… Taking the time to find the substitute path would not hinder him in the least.

"You aren't leaving with the Eclipse Banner." A chilly numbness passed through Atmey's body at the sound of the voice behind him. A woman's voice. Not about to allow himself to reveal any weakness, as surprise could sometimes constitute as weakness, he turned himself about to smile pleasantly at the woman behind him. She wore oval frames around her picture-perfect eyes, which were trained immaculately upon the thief she had caught. Her white hands clutched a small notebook, and plainly jutting from the inside of that book was a card key. Undoubtedly the one made to open the door standing between Luke Atmey and victory.

Atmey allowed a slight chuckle to escape him. "Lady Andrews, my dear…"

The woman remained silent, but began to walk toward him at a slow, steady pace, eyeing him all the while. In turn, the thief simply stood and said nothing else, allowing her the privilege to be the next to speak. He had not expected her to approach him… He had never ruled out the possibility of one guard mistakenly remaining at his proper post, but Adrian Andrews had not been the guard in mind. Though it did make sense—Adrian was quite a thorough woman; she would be certain to manage each detail of this escapade, having expected the heist to take place on this night.

Adrian stopped close enough to him that she could have, if she so wished to, put the proverbial handcuffs on him herself. Her gaze remained where it had been, locked with his own. Atmey's grin never faltered, despite their close proximity and the fact that he, as a thief making away with the prize of an exhibit being run by the lady before him, should have had every reason to fear her wrath. A few moments passed, and suddenly a coy smile tugged at the corner of the lady's lips as well. "You aren't leaving with the Eclipse Banner," she repeated, "…without saying 'Goodbye' to me, first."

"Ah, my lady…!" He laughed again, and she shyly joined him in his amusement. "My darling, you orchestrated this obstacle just to acquire my attention one final time before the night's end?" Adrian blushed, allowing her eyes to flit downward for an instant. The thief picked up on this movement, and carefully touched his gloved hand to her cheek.

"We were moving ahead of schedule at a rate surprising even considering our usual time…" Adrian murmured quietly, gripping her book slightly tighter. "It was an impulse, but we never get time like this when we're on the job." Luke hummed to himself as his fingers softly tapped the line of her angelic jaw.

"This is true," he replied, "Even when you ordinarily manage the exhibits we steal from our plotting rarely allots us this much time to dawdle."

His glorious angel, the apple of his eye… His first order of business, upon release, had been to return to sweep her from her feet, into his waiting arms. Though he had wondered if she would… approve, of his pastime, to his heart's delight she had blushingly admitted that she found his daring occupation to be… attractive, to her. Though she was, naturally, still upset that he had lied to her concerning the Kurain Urn, at the same time she admired his passion for ostentatious acts of criminal exuberance. Though the "criminal" aspect was the part that she herself felt avoidant to, the glamorous life of plotting and executing a perfect crime as a Phantom Thief held her interest. She joined him as his love, and his manager of sorts—she maintained his official website under alias, and earnestly instigated hype amongst the masses for this new criminal genius.

It was only a few months of this life before she signed onto an art exhibit's payroll, and they executed their first theft as a pair. Though Luke insisted upon standing in the spotlight, Adrian did not mind working from the shadows. Through her careful nature and rigorous execution, she was just as much a part of this character they had created as he was, though he wore the costume and made the appearances.

Though typically the larcenies they worked from the inside—the ones in which his lady managed the exhibit to be robbed—were the easiest, it was very true that for all the heists they had worked through, this was the first that had gone so smoothly, so perfectly…

…And allowed them to be together, sharing their giddiness. "We have ten minutes before they'll be looking for me," Adrian said, leaning into his caress. "And then another five or so before they come close enough to this hall to be dangerous."

"Fifteen minutes, then." His other hand still clutched the stolen gem. Atmey held it up to her. "There are times, you know, when I question if we should be so willing to pass on our carefully collected treasures to the illegal underground. I know it provides a healthy income, but my dear, I believe that such a beauty of an artifact belongs on the beautiful throat of a beauty… such as you."

"You want me to wear a priceless necklace? A stolen one, at that?" she laughed.

"Your own angelic appearance would turn it to a compliment! Thereby muddling its illegal appearance. And you must say, there is not a person in the world who could wear this more wonderfully than my darling Adrian Andrews."

She giggled again, her face reddening. "Flattery will not make me change my mind, Luke… Though I appreciate the offer."

"Zvarri. I know you do…" He paused as she shifted, leaning up to gently press her lips against his. Adrian was not typically the more forward one… But this was not the most typical day. He politely returned her affection, sliding his hand from her face to her back, to pull her closer. They held for a brief instance of wonder, then broke apart to allow Luke to beam down at her. "Well now, my love, this must be your way of suggesting how we spend our well-earned break!"

"Erm…" she stammered, glancing down at her watch. "…Twelve minutes."

"Twelve minutes of bliss," said he before kissing her again. She shivered slightly in his grip, but did not reject the advance, instead allowing him to press her back into the wall. Not roughly, but… Firmly. She nearly dropped her notebook, at that, but Luke calmly pushed it back into her hands. "Careful, my dear," he whispered. "We don't want to cut our time together by drawing unnecessary attention to us."

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, but his finger pressed to her mouth, stopping her apology before she could finish.

"Shh. It's of no issue, my lady."

Adrian smiled and lightly shook her head. "…Ten minutes," she updated him.

"Then we will have to make the best of it!" He elicited a quiet gasp as he went for her neck instead of her lips, tugging down the collar of her sweater to give himself a preferable access. She carefully wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and relished in the smooth wetness of his tongue lapping tenderly at her throat.

"L-Luke…" Adrian jolted again as his hands travelled downward, at the icy feel of the opals against her bare skin as his treasure-bearing hand weaseled its way beneath her sweater. Her stomach tightened, but he didn't remain there long—his fingers toyed their way upward, to her chest. She released a shuddering breath as the necklace slid up his sleeve to free his hand, and his free hand gave away its freedom to close around her breast.

"My lady." He released her neck, breaking the small string of saliva between them by licking his lips. "Do you have an update on the time?"

"I-It's…" The woman's arm awkwardly maneuvered around his shoulders to reveal her watch again. "…Four minutes, Luke," she stammered with a hint of finality.

"Only four?" The man's thumb ran slyly across the hardening nub centering the new prize in his palm, just enough to make her breathing falter once more, before retracting all together and slinking around her waist. "How time flies… It seems we've allowed this euphoria to befuddle our sense of responsibility for a time…" Regardless of the nature of his speech, Atmey hugged the lady closer to his body and allowed his lower quarters to rub fondly into hers. The tight costume never did leave much to the imagination, particularly to hers, in this situation no less—the feeling of supreme cold on her lower back as the necklace slid down his sleeve back into his grip served not only to heighten the sensation but to confirm its source.

But their inebriated fumbling stopped short as the Lady Andrews pulled herself partially away. Her face was still glowing, her expression defeated—she did not wish to be the bearer of bad news, but Luke's words had reminded her of the peril they faced if caught. "There's not enough time, Luke," she said sadly. The thief blinked, then allowed a mildly pained air to envelop him.

"P-Perhaps not, but…"

"You need to get out of here," Adrian said as she pulled one arm away to prod the key card into the underside of his nose. "It'll only be worse for us if they catch you."

"…I am aware." Atmey sighed as he took the card from her and began to turn to the door. Her remaining arm around him pulled him back, however. Prompted, he opened his mouth to question her 

and stopped as the young woman's lips caught his once again. The kiss was slow, and sweet… He relished the taste of his lady while it lasted, and then broke.

"I wouldn't be so adamant about protecting you if I didn't… I-If I didn't love you, Luke." _Love_. Her word choice proved to be the master of his anomalous heart, forcing it to turn flips in his ribcage. Feeling the most miniscule bit more subordinate than he did on average, the Phantom Thief nodded and stepped back.

"I know, my darling… You know that I know."

"There's only one more door to pass through after this one before you're free," she started, talking more quickly now. "I'll turn around and meet the others, acting like I came from the next hall over, and point them in your direction for effect."

"Zvarri! So the eternal chase resumes!" he said excitedly, forcibly returning to his Thief Persona. "Let them come—They know as well as you and I that their efforts are fruitless, for no man can fully outwit a thief as brilliant as I. Nor a manager as brilliant as you." He smiled deviously back to her, as he always did.

Adrian returned the smile, with a surprising amount of her own rarely-shown deviation blooming through. "I'll be tied up in the police investigation for a few hours, but I know how long it takes to get to the safety deposit box and back with the right amount of care. …I'll be waiting for you when you get home," she added slyly.

Her sudden spring of devilishness caused his smile to broaden. With a swooping motion he caught her hand and brought it to his lips, planting a gentleman's respect warmly upon her knuckles. "Your awaiting arms are my only dream, and following a perfectly-executed plot? The truest heaven on earth! I will battle and bend time to my will to return to your embrace, Lady Andrews."

With that, the thief bounded across the room and slid his card through the scanner. The green light flashed with a ping, and the door's lock clicked. Adrian's quick, quiet footsteps reached his ears to let him know she had already embarked on her part of the final stage just as he had, and he did not look back as he disappeared through the doors. There would only be a few busy hours between that moment and the moment they were united once more, after all. Until then, her voice and angelic visage were framed lovingly in his mind, replacing the map he no longer needed, along with one semi-shy deliberation.

In all truth, the only singular, solitary something in existence that could rival the euphoria gained from committing a well-planned phantom robbery was the woman who had already begun waiting for his return.


End file.
